‘We have a lot of work to do’ – Arroyo expects to see improvement from Aston Villa | OneFootball

Aston Villa head coach Natalia Arroyo says that her side have a lot more work to do as they aim to climb the Barclays Women’s Super League table.

A disappointing 3-0 loss to Leicester City before the international break left The Villans in 11th place in the league table, four points clear of the relegation zone.

When speaking to the media ahead of this afternoon’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Everton, Aston Villa boss Arroyo made it clear that she expects the best version of her team at Villa Park.

“I still see that we have a lot of work to do, of course, but the energy is there and I’m happy to know everything better now,” Arroyo said. “We need to connect with this feeling, this passion, this energy that we had against Chelsea and Brighton.

“Of course, we are disappointed after the Leicester game and we understand that this next game needs to be a good performance. I expect a good version from us knowing that it will be difficult at points and we will struggle.”

Despite recently finding their rhythm at Villa Park, points certainly aren’t guaranteed for Aston Villa as they take on a tough opponent in Everton. The Merseyside club have strengthened considerably in the January window and hold a three-point advantage over The Villans in the league table.

“It will be a tough game for sure because they are a good team and have good principles,” Arroyo said. “Brian [Sørensen] is doing a great job with them and they have signed better players to have more solutions in their offensive phase.

“In my opinion, they are one of the most creative and dynamic teams in this league, so it will be a big challenge for us out of possession. They have a very clear strategy when they defend and let’s see what kind of traps they want to build for us.

“Hopefully, it will be an exciting game because both of the teams will try to win, to score, perform well and try to get the three points.”

Kenza Dali and Adriana Leon have both completed moves to San Diego Wave in recent weeks but Arroyo doesn’t seem concerned about losing two of her most creative, attack-minded players, she is instead looking to build for the future.

She said “
I admired them and they have good skills, but I think we have enough players now and they are still committed to our goals. We have the skills to still be an offensive team and whatever we lack, we will find it in the next [transfer] window. We are challenging the players to be committed and to do the best they can. At some point, that means training a little bit more or trying to find what clicks will help us change to the situation.”

Aston Villa’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Everton kicks-off at 2pm. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.